Godless
by insertbestname
Summary: Raised in an isolated shrine by both the wolf-god and priests, Mira is unique even in the world of shinobis. Rumors of her abilities soon catch the eyes of warring Villages who are in the midst of the Third Shinobi World War - including the Leaf Village's own Team Minato. I do not claim ownership of any aspect of the Naruto franchise.
1. Chapter 1

We were young when we met. Well, _I_ was young when we met; death had changed him, made him grow up too fast. Between his family and the war, he had already assumed the indifference of a world-weary adult. Compared to him, I was entirely too naïve. I knew nothing of civilization then – just that temple most know only through legend.

I remember that place now. It was in the mountains – a region so wild that the temple was the only inhabited speck amongst the entire range of peaks, the speck nestled within a valley that no map marked. The forest smothered the structures, ignorant of their existence, yet that edge of the wood was still young. Young at least compared to where Kaa-san raised me – where the ancient trees reigned and the very air was alive. There, a giant would find himself a pup amongst the trunks, bawling beneath boughs so thick they created eternal night.

After I left, I realized those mountains – my home – held no name; it was mentioned only in hushed whispers by those who lived in villages beneath its immense shadow. "It's sacred," they hushed me, eyes full of fear and suspicion upon hearing that I called it my home. "No one lives there but the gods. We are in the shadow of gods – do not anger them." I'd grit my teeth then, and he would give me that _look _of his and usher me from the crowd that had formed to see that strange girl of the mountains.

They weren't wrong. Gods did live there. Gods who needed sanctuary for rest. Or protection.

Unfortunately, humans have a tendency towards destruction, and the world found itself within the Third Great Shinobi War. The Villages fought viciously, each side seeking an advantage. Unfortunately, some Kage began to believe in old legends, in the land where the gods walk.

I didn't know about any of the horrors raging outside my home then, but I look back on it now, and I see the irony in it all: a human's belief destroyed the gods.

And I, Mira, adopted daughter of the wolf-god, orphan of the sacred land, ensured it.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm surprised I remember anything; I was five. It was mostly colors. The blinding white of Kaa-san's fur. The cooling green of the leaves above. I remember my mother's warmth seeping into my bones, and the sun lapping at my face. I remember sniffling, though it wasn't for long. A soft growl had probably put an end to that.

I was of the wolf-clan; we did not whimper.

I was lying on Kaa-san's withers, I recall – a fleshy pebble upon a snow-capped peak. Even today I barely rise above her paw; back then, I'm amazed she didn't mistake me for a flea. When she came to a halt and sat, I twisted my fists into her fur. I didn't want to go. However, the bristling of her fur brooked no argument. With a grimace, I let go and slid down her back, rolling into the plush of her tail.

I pushed my way out and blinked. We were at the edge of the old wood. The trees in front of us were half the size of those we were leaving; their lowest branches nearly poked Kaa-san's eyes, but like many things, they seemed to shrivel in fear.

_Here? _I craned my neck back at Kaa-san. My fists latched onto the grass that came up past my shoulders.

She lay down, her cheek beside me. Even then I had to look several feet up to meet her eyes. Kaa-san once told me that most humans couldn't look directly at a god; even I had trouble at first, she said, though I'd had grown used to it by then. An ethereal light poured from her, turning the night into twilight. Searing flames seemed to dance about her; the deepest scarlets and the richest golds played upon her form, intricate patterns being both created and destroyed. But it was her eyes that made it so difficult. They were a searing amber that pierced your innermost being, scrutinizing your basest self with feral hunger. But now one huge orb – an amber gem larger than my five year old self – fixed upon me.

_Here, _she responded, her voice rolling through my mind like thunder. _They are waiting. _

I lifted my nose to the wind, catching the scent of something so foreign it was pungent. I recognized sweat and fire but other things wafted in the breeze that I could not recognize. There were subtle differences that marked individuals. There was a group of them less than a mile away.

_It is time to go, _Kaa-san reminded, continuing her gentle pushing.

I gritted my teeth, not moving an inch.

She twisted her head and blew air at me from her nostrils. As my hair flung back, I bared my teeth. _Why? _I challenged her light reproof.

_Though you are my own, you are human, _she answered. _You must learn their ways as well. You will be the link between our worlds. You will remind them of the gods they have abandoned for bloodshed. _

My lips met in a frown as her words vibrated within my skull. I looked to the grass, spying a pebble amongst the ancient world of green around it. I kicked it with my toe, sending it sprawling into the younger wood; it landed with the same side facing up. I growled. _Every quarter of the moon. You promised, _I snapped. _I'll meet you right here. _I jerked my chin at that pebble.

Her ears tilted back lightly as she moved to gently nuzzle me. I was enveloped in that white fur once more, and I hugged back with all of my might, burying my face into that comforting warmth. After a few moments, she lightly pushed me with her nose. I stumbled into the younger wood. I turned to say goodbye, but Kaa-san had vanished.

My lower lip trembled, but I kept myself from crying. I turned to the smell of man and walked in their direction. I had ventured into this younger wood before so my step was sure, though I still marveled at the simplicity of this place. There was life here – I could hear the foxes rustle in the bushes, the owl flit past – but it was much more _restrained_ here, contained by the life forms themselves. In the ancient wood, life flowed in and out of everything. Even Kaa-san held deference to the smallest breeze.

I wrinkled my nose as the smell of the men became stronger. I knew it was only worse at the temple. I had seen it before – seen those men walking to and from those strange wooden caves – from up in the safety of the trees. Even from my distance, I had to stuff flowers under my nose to keep from retching. This had been my main complaint against going; I gagged at the notion of living in a place so foul, a place whose scent would surely taint my own.

But still, I had to admit I was curious. What were those humans doing all that time? Kaa-san said they were praying to the gods, but I saw them doing other things. They clawed the ground with oddly shaped branches. They yanked on brown vines that were hung into a hole and pulled up a hollow tree stump. More importantly, I wanted to know what the sounds they made meant. I could gather a bit by their tones and how they stood, but it seemed that they understood each other purely through sound. I was curious.

I was approaching the gathering of humans now, and I dropped onto my stomach. I crawled up to them, trying to hide my form in the grass that only came up to my elbows. There were five of them, each figure oddly wrapped in what wasn't their skin. They were talking with one another in that strange, lyrical tongue. The four younger ones were focused on the eldest man – the alpha, I understood – and were questioning him. He gave short answers, full of a weary confidence, as he faced the forest – a patch of trees to the left of me.

I looked at him and found that my muscles were slowly unclenching. Hackles that I had raised were slowly dropping. I sat up in full view and peered intently at this man. In true human fashion, he didn't see me.

He had his arms in front of him, but his hands were covered by that odd, black wrapping. His feet were similarly encased in a different, thicker looking material. He had tied a white vine across his stomach, and I could the roll of a large belly beneath it. There were light wrinkles in a face that was entirely bald, save for an incredibly thick set of smooth, silver whiskers that trailed onto his chest. His cheeks were red – I expect from the cold wind that was blowing – but there was a light turn at the corner of his lips. He wasn't growling; no, his shoulders were relaxed, his stance was confident – he was content.

But it was his eyes that made me approach finally approach him. They were the sharpest shade of green I had ever seen. They were sharper, more electric than even the thorns of a burgeoning rose. But there was no anger there; somehow glittering upon that cutting jade was pure peace. I wanted to know why he was so happy.

I remember the shouts then as one of the young men saw me. The sudden burst of movement and excitement. I nearly sprinted off into the forest at that point, but the alpha quickly got the others in order. He calmed them down so that they were only exclaiming things in low voices to each other and reached out to me, soothing me with words I could not understand. I remember walking closer, drawn in by eyes which seemed to only know joy and which were now shining with amazement. I took his hand.

I remember asking them years later what they had said that night. Hachiro-senpai, Yori-senpai, Akio-senpai, and Masaru-senpai. They couldn't remember all of it, they told me.

"It was so long ago," Akio-senpai explained.

"You looked terrifically feral," Yori-senpai commented. "You walked up to us on all fours, butt-naked."

I stifled my growl at their laughter but felt some flicker of pride.

"You looked like you were about to call the rest of the pack and kill us," Hachiro-senpai agreed. "But what I remember the most is the smell! Woo-eeh!" He swiped at his nose as the rest laughed in agreement.

I wrinkled my nose in distaste at them. "You should smell yourselves sometime," I retorted, folding my arms across my chest. "My nose is never going to be the same again."

Masaru-senpai had stopped laughing at this point and had folded his arms against his chest. "I just remember being so surprised that Yuuta-sama was right." He shook his head. "I thought he had finally fallen off the deep-end that night." He looked at me and the other three did the same. "I mean, who would've thought that the wolf-girl he dreamed about was real?"


	3. Chapter 3

There were two things they kept saying as I grew up in the temple. The first was that I was a quick learner. To be honest, I had to be. This was an entirely different world to me, one filled with its own dangers and rules. I knew this that very night I had met the priests.

Yuuta-sama held me by the hand as he led me through the door into the kitchen. I was walking awkwardly since Hachiro-senpai had thrown his cloak over me – a benevolent action which only constricted and confused me. Yet the cloak wasn't the culprit that introduced my face to the floor; no, it was the explosion of scents that made me retch. The strongest being that of fire.

There was a general outcry from the men around me, but I ignored them. With a paw over my nose and panting, I debated whether I should run but curiosity had gotten the better of me. Kaa-san had told me once that man had learned to control fire. _It was the dragon who taught them, _she commented, fixing me with one amber eye. _Years ago when it still meddled in the affairs of men. _She had given me impressions of fire then – of the heat, of the color, and of the danger. _Be wary of the dragon's gift. _

I approached the orange flames, never having seen it in person before. My fur stood on edge as I slunk towards it. I would've thought it was a living creature if I didn't know better; with hundreds of yellow tongues, the fire avidly licked the sizzling bodies of the fish dangling above it. I stopped beside it and reached out a paw –

"No!" a shrill voice barked – the tone of which led me to understand the word. A word, in fact, I'd become distinctly familiar with later on.

I jumped back, snatching my hand back from the flames, and snarled at this newcomer. She was a portly woman, and a few strands of grey in her yellow hair and snatches of wrinkles along her forehead marked her as a tad younger than Yuuta-sama. There was no firmness in her stance nor in her her voice as she began to exclaim a flood of syllables that I had no hope of understanding. She made a lot of grand gestures with oddly petite paws, most of them pointing to me. But as with everyone else, I felt no danger from her – this woman the men were calling Azumi-san.

I settled on my haunches and began to gnaw at the cloak bunching against my neck before Azumi-san barked out some other rebuke. I stopped, lips drawn back, expecting it was aimed at me before realizing it was at the men. However, I hadn't escaped; the next thing I knew, she was stomping over towards me, cooing like a hyperactive dove. I started to bare my fangs when, out of the corner of my eye, Yuuta-sama gave a short shake of the head. I dropped my eyes to him and allowed this lady to lift me up onto shaky hind-legs and lead me stumbling to other rooms as she kept repeating the words 'bath' and 'clothes.'

After that traumatizing ordeal, filled with much whining and many escape attempts, Azuumi-san led me back into the kitchen, her own hair askew and clothes wet to proudly present a bedraggled, costumed me. _The smell won't be the worst part of this, _I whimpered as she led me over to sit awkwardly on a chair. _It'll be 'bath'. _

Akio-senpai pushed a portion of crinkled fish to Azuumi-san and I, and all, except me, lifted the plate into the air and called out a jumbled bunch of syllables. I only stared with wide-eyes until they began to eat. Seeing something familiar – though oddly accomplished with strange sticks – I joined in with my hands. The meal passed without further reproof on my behalf except that Azuumi-san kept shoving my feet off my precarious little seat and to the floor. I supposed instruction about those sticks would come soon enough.

Later, Azuumi-san had led me up the stairs and into a small, spare bedroom, all the while cooing nonsensical consonants. She changed me out of the green kimono she had stuffed me in, and, for a moment, I thought I was free; however, that lasted only briefly before she shoved me into some lighter cloth. A low rumble rose from my chest, but her swift 'tsk-tsk' silenced it. She plopped me into bed and trapped me beneath heavy blankets. I began to hyperventilate even before she pecked me on the forehead and left the room.

I exploded out of the sheets and landed on all fours, escaping my bedclothes in the process. I made quick inspection of the room, turning up nothing but that bed, a pile of those horrid kimonos, dust, and human-smell. I circled to the window and peered out of it, looking around the walled-off grounds and then out towards the void beyond. I could see nothing of the forest; at least, not tonight. The moon had lost its throne, overtaken by a charging column of clouds. I could feel the electricity on the wind, smell the approaching hail.

I wrinkled my nose and, after some time, dropped off the windowsill. I looked at the roof above me and determined it was a good shelter for the approaching storm. I jumped back onto my bed and rolled onto my back. And then rolled onto my stomach. And then stretched. And then curled into a ball. A soft whine scraped its way out of my throat. _It's not Kaa-san. _My stomach felt empty though I had just eaten. I felt restless even though I was exhausted. My lip kept quivering. I felt hot pinpricks at the corners of my eyes, but I growled and scratched them away. _Only a few days until the full moon, _I reminded myself. _A few days, and then you can convince her._

I lay there awhile, trying to wrestle my thoughts and emotions back into working order. After managing that lengthy feat, I sat up once more, thinking of what to do. The night was still young with the wolf's hour barely begun. With nothing in my room to occupy, I plodded to the door and opened it as I had seen Azuumi-san do. It gave way with a loathsome creak that made me paw at my ears, but I nosed it open further and stepped onto the landing.

I supposed this was the main building – it was the largest out of the dozen that comprised the temple. It was simple inside with the main hall focused upon what Kaa-san had once taught me was a shrine – a symbol of worship to the gods. _These are sacred places for the humans, _she told me, _and the gods as well. These are where our worlds combine. _I peered down at it, curious as to whom this particular shrine was devoted. Looking around the walkway that wrapped around the upper layer of the hall, I was reminded of a vine which, instead of thorns, had various doors poking from it. I found the one which contained the stairs and headed towards it.

Making my way onto the main landing, I approached the statue, bowing my head in deference. I halted a few feet before it and looked up at the statue. It was made of a white, polished stone that I had never seen before. The candles placed beside it created a sense of flame that raced along the smooth rock. Though I was unable to read the words, I recognized the statue that was framed by pine branches and wildflowers. _It barely looks like her, _I grouched as I peered at Kaa-san's figure. _The eyes are all wrong. _

Still, I gave a soft whine as my heart began to ache. I sniffed, trying to hold back tears, and the scent of ash and flame coated my nostrils. Desperate for the distraction, I let my interest pique again as I moved towards the kitchen, ears perked as I heard low, rapid speech. Not familiar with the human's concept of intrusion, I maneuvered into the room, and, without looking at the priests or Azuumi-san still gathered around the table, I plodded over to the fire.

They had gone silent, thinking that I had not noticed them. I left them this fantasy as I settled before the hearth and stared at flames which had dampened to an icy blue. I cocked my head at the fire, listening to the creaking of the wood which sacrificed itself for it to continue. The heat washed over me, a comforting though fickle sort of thing. The heady scent of ashes filled my mouth, and I swallowed once, twice but it wouldn't leave. The light played about the stones, twisting shadows this way and that. _Curious. _

Without further thought, I thrust my paw into the flames. There were bangs, gasps, yelps as Azuumi-san and the men broke out of their chairs. I turned, staring at each of them slowly, meeting their frightened gazes until they fell back in their chairs. Only Yuuta-sama had remained seated, watching me with those content jade eyes, arms crossed over his chest, a smile playing about his lips. I locked eyes with him as I removed my paw from the fire, but then looked down at my fingers, a bit disappointed that nothing had happened. All ten fingers still there, all skin left completely unharmed.

Goal accomplished, I went off to explore the rest of the temple grounds, hoping that I'd find something more interesting. I trekked out of the room, not giving the group another look though I could feel the weight of their gazes upon me. As the door swung shut, I heard them whisper something to each other. After I picked up the language, I finally understood.

"What is she?" they had asked. And that was the second thing they kept saying as I grew up in the temple.


	4. Chapter 4

"A shinobi, right? That's what you are."

I stared at Yori-senpai, confused. Not at what he had asked me but at that patchy, blonde stubble beneath that thin nose – the irrefutable defeat in a week's bet to not shave. It poorly sculpted his already-round, bald face and made his pale skin look ashy. The light made it look even worse from my angle; he stood on spindly legs a good head-and-shoulders above me, and the light made the scruff seem a nonthreatening blonde. I tilted my head, trying to see if a new perspective would improve things.

"She's certainly quiet enough," Akio-senpai added, handing a brush to Yori-senpai. A squat man at my height, he was also hairier than a badger. He constantly had to shorn his black hair, an act which revealed a scar that traced its way from his temple to his ear. It seemed like a clean cut – a blade's cut – but I never asked him how he had received it. Built like a bear, the only thing that rivaled the size of his arms was his smile – something which shone forth even in the darkest of moods. He joked, "I never know when she's around, and she barely talks."

I restrained a growl and stared down at the plaster I was mixing. The past two years had tamed me, or rather Azuumi-san had. Witnessing my crippling ignorance firsthand, she had persuaded Yuuta-sama to place me under a 'loving aunt's care.'

She told me that she had admonished, "She needs to know the basics of being a woman." She wagged a chubby pink finger. "Do _you _want to be the one to teach her about t-?"

"Fine," he cut in. Yuuta-sama had gone a bit red, Azuumi-san had told me – the first time she'd ever seen him uncomfortable. "You teach her what you deem fit. I will educate her with history, literature, and the like."

In those months, I woke in my room to her gentle tapping on the door. She would enter then and tut at my tan, eternally scratched and bruised skin. She would rub some fragrant lotion over me, making me flinch at its coolness, while she professed that it would soften my weatherworn skin.

She would then help me into some old clothes she had fixed to my size, yanking my limbs through holes that were either too small or too large. She would then take me to the mirror and rake a comb through matted, frizzy, sunbaked hair, always crooning "Such a beautiful auburn! Such a beautiful girl!" I would glare but manage to stifle the growl. After she finished, and after my jaw began to ache from gritting my teeth so hard, we had the breakfast that Hachiro-senpai had made. In the following hours, I would split my time between Yuuta-sama and her.

In the morning, I would always lumber into Yuuta-sama's study, my belly burgeoning after a hearty breakfast. He was always waiting for me, always motioning for me to take a seat in the chair across his desk. His eyes would always be laughing as I rolled onto the cushions, sprawling my limbs as I returned his good humor with a meek smile.

I had liked Yuuta-sama from the start – a 'kindred spirit' as Kaa-san would say. He was patient with me as he taught me to both read and speak Japanese. I'm sure it was a tiring process as my initial reaction to hard words was a frustrated snarl. However, he'd always manage to soothe me with a light tap on the head – his only form of rebuke – and an encouragement of further practice. Soon, I was finally able to understand him when he asked me for my name.

"Mira," I answered. "Name Mira."

"What a beautiful name," he answered, his jade eyes softening, that ever-present smile blooming beneath those silver whiskers.

Most nights as I wandered during the wolf's hour, I would wind my way into his study off the kitchens. It was a small place – Hachiro-senpai told me it used to be a pantry – but he had made it his own. Not a large man himself, Yuuta-sama seemed perfectly suited to this room filled with shelves and shelves of books. It was eternally dark, with no light save ever-flickering candles placed strategically throughout the room which turned the night into twilight.

_Home, _I had always thought as I slunk past the trunks of books piled on the floor.

Yuuta-sama would always be there, working into the late hours of the night. He was never surprised by my presence – not even the first time I hopped up into my cushioned seat. We never really talked; we never felt the need. He would simply push a book towards me, his jade eyes twinkling in the dark, and I would begin to read.

They were picture books at first, aimed at helping a youth learn vocabulary, but soon I graduated on to legitimate works: the fantastical tales of the young samurai Ryuk, the adventures of the heroic shinobi Naruto, the star-crossed romance of Fuu and Juro. My interest in literature grew voracious, and soon I would only retire to bed when urged by Yuuta-sama. This urging usually took the form of a sugary bribe from a store he kept hidden in his desk.

I spent time less academically with Azuumi-san. Unable to have children, the portly widow said raising me was a dream fulfilled. We would either work in the garden or around the temple while she taught me what she called a 'society and culture deluge.'

Over time, I grew to understand her fast, informal speech and even picked up some of her country slang as well. I learned that when she was young, Azuumi-san lived in a village about a day's walk from the rim of the forest. It was small, she said, but it held more charm than any other town in the Land of Fire. Excited, I had asked her if the land outside the woods was really made of fire.

"No, no, dear," she answered after a throaty laugh. "That's just what our nation is called."

I looked at the ground, brow furrowed. She must've seen my expression as she quickly explained what a nation was, that there were other ones besides that of Fire, and who the Feudal Lords were. I pursed my lips, trying to imagine all she described to me: the thousands of people, the hot springs, the shops, and the restaurants.

"So," I began, my tongue thick and heavy, "bigger than temple?"

She chuckled from her chest again. "The villages are _much_ bigger than here. There are only five priests who run the temple, then you and me. Before we met, my husband traveled the world searching for the best lands to hunt and visited dozens of cities. He said that even _my _town – which dwarfs this temple with 300 people – would probably take up only a block in the others." She gave a toothy grin, mischief glinting in her eye. She put a hand over her mouth and leaned over towards me. "He even said he must've passed close to the Hidden Leaf Village once." She gave a knowing nod. "He was stopped by three shinobi who questioned him and sent him on his way. He said it was the most terrifying thing he'd experienced especially with this war and all."

My ears perked at that name. Azuumi-san had told me about the shinobi before and their 'Hidden Villages.' She had never met a shinobi before, she stated, though in these days she doubted she'd want to. Still, she spoke of them and their abilities with such reverent awe, I felt my own fascination begin to grow.

I wanted to ask her further details, but before I could piece together the words, Azuumi-san continued, "He heard the legends about this place and started making his way. Soon, he found himself in my village and in my little herbal shop." Her voice began to stagger here, becoming more raspy and inaudible. Still, a weary smile lit up her features, sparked by the light in her eyes. "Stupid me. I fell in love with that fool, married him, and moved up here. I was terrified of this place, but, when my husband passed, I-" She went mute, though her lips still moved.

I busied myself with a few tuffs of grass, watching them grow and twist under my gaze. I felt her eyes on me but didn't turn. I knew what I would find: a mystified, almost horrified stare. It was always the same whenever I did something like this. I had always thought things like this were normal: directing the wind, floating drops of water, and, recently, painting with fire. Apparently, only Yuuta-sama was undisturbed. I was confused why none of them were able to do it. It was easy, really; it was just a matter of channeling that flow of life. It was harder here, outside of the ancient woods, but I was quickly regaining my original skill. Soon, I would be able to make saplings grow again.

"I can still feel him nearby," Azuumi-san continued. "I suppose there may be some truth to those legends."

I tugged at weaved the grass blades together, forming a green rose.

Her voice was soft. "Especially now."

I will be forever grateful to Azuumi-san. In this casual way, she taught me everything that most take for granted: how to use chopsticks, how to clean and dress myself, how to fit in. The hardest part was that slippery language; I suppose I still am so averse to speaking for fear of error. Azuumi-san said she'd have thought I was shy if it wasn't for that _glint _in my eyes.

"Like a wolf," she'd murmur, shaking her head. "Like you'd rather bite me than say hi back."

"But I am a wolf," I'd say back, brows furrowed. "But I don't want to bite you. You're part of the pack. You're my family."

She'd turn her back to me and would have to wipe something from her eyes then while I would look towards the ancient wood. My heart would falter a bit, aching as I wondered what Kaa-san was doing. However, as with all things, time began to deaden the pain as I adjusted to my new life. Besides, it was not as if I couldn't see her. With every new phase of the moon, I would slip out of my room, shed my humanity, and return to her as a wolf.

As I left the temple, the local wolf pack would melt from the shadows and stride beside me. The youths would nip at my heels and hair, enticing me to play, while the alpha, a scarred creature of silver and white, walked at my side.

_Are they treating you well Mira-sama? _he would always ask in that voice of gravel.

_I'm fine, Kizuato-san, _I'd respond, looking up at the grizzled creature that was taller than man. _You should stop worrying. _

We would converse of the recent hunts as the pack escorted me to the edge of the old wood, Kizuato-san always inviting me to their next one. _It would be an honor if you would, Mira-sama, _he'd say, and I'd accept; the hunts were always fun, and afterwards I'd bring a huge slab of elk meat home to a tearfully grateful Hachiro-senpai. Everyone won.

As Kaa-san's twilight began to warm the night, the pack would pull back, dipping their heads and tails to their god. I would continue on without them, my ears perked, my steps light. Kaa-san was always lying there, waiting for me by that pebble, her eyes filled with pride. _I missed you, my pup, _she would always say. _What have you learned this week? _

I would climb up and sit between her ears, burying myself once more in her warm, downy fur, and tell her everything. About learning to walk upright. About how man cooked their food. About the fantastic stories the humans created. About the bits of Japanese I had picked up, even trying to get her to speak a few words. She would listen intently as she stood up and strode back into the dark woods, tickling me with flicks of her ear.

As we strolled through the twilight, the other gods would appear beside us, greeting Kaa-san and I and asking how I fared human life. Kistune-san, Hebi-san, Momonga-san, they all stopped by to greet me. Fukurō-san would always rest on a branch besides us, his large golden eyes reflecting my own brown ones as he pelted me with questions. My mother would have to snap at him to get the owl to stop pestering me. But I didn't mind. When I was younger, he'd always let me fly around on his back just so he could tell his own stories to someone. Eruku-san would pass by, dipping his large rack of antlers to me in greeting. I remembered when he let me climb and swing from those colossal horns, kindly allowing the three years old me to treat them like glowing tree branches.

We would always stop at the peak of the mountain, gazing out over the whole wood. We would see the lights from the temple twinkling in the distance. We would see where the forest ended and where civilization began. But most of all, we would see the eternal moon, hanging over us, staring back. Kaa-san would nudge me then. _Tsuki-sama is bright tonight, my little one. _She would sing then, Kaa-san's mellifluous notes filling the air, pouring over the whole mountain range. I could feel her tenor vibrating within my bones as she called to the moon, thanking her for all she did. With my own feeble voice, I'd join her, though I went silent every time as I listened to her haunting melody. After her songs slipped into silence, we would just sit there and look to the glittering spray of light above us. She would tell me stories of the Old Ones then – the ones who there long before us and would be there long after us.

_They have fallen asleep now, _she acknowledged. _They are resting, tired from sculpting the universe. Tired from fighting one another. _She fixed me with one brilliant amber eye. _Man was the one who stopped them. _

I chewed the insides of my gums. _It's strange. If they're so strong, why do they look so weak?_

Kaa-san tilted her head, looking at me with a strange, laughing glint in her eye. I felt she wanted to tell me something then, but instead she blew my hair with a gust from her nose and settled her head between her paws.

_I wonder what it was. _I thought as I kept stirring the sticky mixture. My attention returned to Yori-senpai and Akio-senpai who were continuing to add evidence to the 'Mira-is -a-shinobi' case.

"Light on her feet," Akio-senpai commented, wiping a sheen of sweat off his brow. "Never seen her fall or trip or anything. She also can smell and hear everything. I suppose shinobi can do that as well."

"Combative too," Yori-senpai described as he carefully laid the tile down on the roof. "If we know anything about the shinobi, they sure love their wars." He threw his hands up in the air, a huge smile causing his cheeks to collapse into large dimples. "Finished!"

I looked up at him hunched over on the roof, bald head reflecting light into my eyes. The three of us had been repairing the storage shed for the week. We had patched up the door, repaired the walls, and were now working on the roof. I created that thick glue and handed over buckets of it to Akio-senpai. He then laid down the concoction and was followed by Yori-senpai who placed the wooden slats.

"Just in time for prayer," added Akio-senpai as Masaru-senpai began to ring the temple's chimes. Akio-senpai threw down his brush and hopped off the roof, stumbling a bit on the landing. Yori-senpai followed him only to slip and fall on his back. As Akio-senpai laughed like a cackling hen, I slid off the roof as well, landing easily, and helped Yori-senpai to his feet.

"Come on!" came Hachiro-senpai's voice. I looked to the kitchens and saw him wiping his burnt hands on a cloth. He tossed the rag back into the kitchen and lifted his apron from his wide stomach. He tossed that too and began to walk towards the meditation chapel in the back, past the garden and the pond.

The temple was old. Older than even the five nations. It was located in a natural meadow that seemed to have lost any relationship to time. Even old etchings of the place depicted the same scene: the mountain peaks in the background, the ever-present dandelions and lilies, the constant immobile ranks of the forest's wooden battalions.

For protection against the local fauna, the early founders – whoever they were – had erected a set of mud-and-log walls that needed constant attention. The entrance was at the end of a trail nearly erased from the earth's memory – it had long since been forgotten by man at that point. The gate was comprised of two red posts with a third lying on top of them – traditional symbolism, apparently, according to my books. The main temple – the one with Kaa-san's statue – was set in the front, greeting those that never came.

The meadow opened up behind this structure, though it had been tamed by years of human hands. Taking up a section of the soft, green grass was the robust garden in which was grown all of the temple's food: various berries, legumes, lettuces, and others whose names I do not know. Other structures, such as the well and the storage sheds, were located besides the walls to create a sense of openness.

However, I could always be found on the weeping willow's branch that hung low over the coy-filled pond. I found my peace there, with a toe dipping into the cool water and a book in one hand. The leaves offered me shade and solitude, and when the wind rose, soft music as well. At night, I could gaze upwards to the stars above and watch the comets sail past.

Yet I didn't move towards the pond today. In the back was the simple structure in which the priests gathered every morning, noon, and dusk to meditate and give thanks to the gods; I had been in the room, though Yuuta-sama had told me I wasn't ready to participate yet. I had brushed it off then, not thinking sitting still for hours on end was very entertaining, but now I was curious.

Akio-senpai and Yori-senpai exchanged a few more quips about my shinobi past, cleaning up the mess, before they too began to walk towards the chapel. I stepped lightly behind them, carrying my pail of gunk, and worked my mouth, trying to get the right words to come out.

"Where's-" Yori-senpai began as he looked back. Apparently unable to see me over his shoulder, he lifted up his arm to see me plodding along behind them. "There you are!"

The two priests stopped and turned towards me, crossing their arms over their chest, and lifted their chins.

"We have to settle this!" Akio-senpai announced. "Mira-chan, you have a mysterious upbringing, yes?"

I scrunched my face as I considered my answer. "I suppose?" I fidgeted where I stood, watching them raise their eyebrows, watching them want more. "Kaa-san said she saw me in a vision. She went up the mountains and found me in a cloud."

Their eyes widened, but Akio-senpai managed to answer, "So, yes then." He turned to Yori-senpai. "Proves it. All shinobi have mysterious pasts."

Yori-senpai nodded. "I'm completely convinced now. Mira-chan was or is a shinobi and simply showed up to spy on us lowly priests."

They laughed as they started forward again, pleased with themselves. I cracked a smile as well and continued pacing after them. Akio-senpai looked back at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you going?" he asked. "Not reading today?"

I crossed my scratched and bruised arms. "To meditation." I lifted a lip, a defensive snarl sharpening my features.

"You sure about that?" Yori-senpai challenged, humor cracking the glare in his eyes. "Why'd a wild thing like you want to sit for hours on end?" He shook his head and pointed to the weeping willow. "I promise you that you'd have more fun over there."

"I want to know what you do in there," I bristled, the words measured but confident. "Kaa-san told me you guys pray to her. I want to too."

The two priests looked at each other and gave a shrug.

"Well, Yuuta-sama can't tell us we didn't try," Akio-senpai sighed, pushing his hair back from his head. "The wolf-girl just overpowered us."

"Yeah," joined in Yori-senpai with a whine. "What could _we _do against a shinobi?"

Both started laughing as they started walking once more. I pulled back both lips into a smile, but I kept my arms crossed as I stalked after them.

We stepped inside what essentially amounted to an empty hall. There were four, faded pillows placed on the ground that faced fifth that was heralded by two, large candles. The room itself held no major decoration; just empty white walls topped by a wooden roof.

Hachiro-senpai and Masaru-senpai were already resting upon the front two pillows. Yuuta-sama stood beside the two candles, his eyes appraising us as we walked in. As if a switch had been turned on inside them, Yori-senpai and Akio-senpai became serious as they settled upon their seats as well. I stood by the door for a few seconds before I took a few steps in and sat down as well.

Yuuta-sama simply looked at me for a few moments before giving a small nod of welcome. He sat down as well, crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees. The rest of the group followed his example. However, before I lowered my head I saw the priests exchange looks with one another, tension tugging their muscles.

Yuuta-sama gave a curt nod to them and bowed his head. "Let us begin."


	5. Chapter 5

_This. Is. So. Boring. _I gave a silent yawn and felt the cool tears form against my partially closed eyelids. I scrunched my face, squeezing the droplets so that they fell down my cheeks, leaving cold, itchy wakes. My fingers crunched as I forced them to stay folded in my lap, my toes wriggled beneath my crossed shins, and my lower lip wound its way between my gnawing teeth.

I peered out from cracked eyelids, seeing the perfectly still, meditating priests in front of me.

_How are they doing this? _I wiggled my nose and dropped my forehead low once more. _Focus. That's what Yuuta-sama said this was all about. Practice for years until you learn. Focus, and the gods may enlighten you. _My lip curled. _Such a strange way to talk with the gods._

Thunk. The sōzu from the garden slapped the stone, tossing its burden back into the water.

Thunk. I exhaled. Two dust motes roused themselves from the floor and caught on to my breath They pranced on the soft breeze, using the wind as the stage for their waltz. They curled around each other, twisted above and swung below one another. They swirled to the slow drumming of the sōzu from the garden.

Thunk. They pulled away from each other as my breath died. They began to fall. _No. _I reached into those currents around me – the ones that surged through every cell, every atom.

Thunk. A wind rose, catching those mites and drawing them close once more. They ran towards each other, arms outstretched. Light began to grow around them – a soft haze like twilight. They neared each other, their fingers touched, their fingers entwined and-

Thunk.

Colors burst in front of me, and then the world went dark. My hackles were raised as snarls ravaged my throat, though I could not hear it. _Where am I?_

I couldn't see. My eyes were aching, itching, blinded by whatever they had seen. My hair bristled, trying to catch any warmth in gale that had stolen my senses and now sought to freeze my soul. I tried to cover my face, but my movements were sluggish as if I hadn't moved at all. _But am I moving? _I couldn't feel my body here; I didn't exist. Desperate, I reached for anything – everything – only to find that the electric threads that sewed existence together did not even exist here.

_No, wait. _My heart crashed against my ribs, panic whipping it mercilessly. _I'm in them. I'm in them all. I'm in the current. _

I clawed at the energy, tried to control it, distort it, direct it, but it was impossible. I was drowning in it. I was falling deeper into the fabric of eternity. There was no way out. I was lost. I was dying. I was nothing. I was everything.

Something seared into the back of my neck, ripping past my skin and tearing into my spine. I yelped and tried to pull away, but I had no power here. Its heat scorched the rest of my being, branding with a returned ability to feel. I shrieked under the pain. It began to yank me, dragging me by my shattered bones.

My vision started to clear. Impossible colors winked into existence, each scalding my eyes with their undiluted intensity. They encircled me, racing past me around me as if we were those waltzing dust motes. The blackness began to thicken once more before whatever it was snapped even more viciously into my neck, and it slid back into its recesses.

With touch returning to me, I could finally sense myself in the chaos; I could feel the tempest peel off my skin, one layer at a time. Hearing was returning to me; there was a noise that was scraping against my eardrums. I realized it was my scream.

Something hot clamped itself over my mouth, and soon I tasted something on my tongue. Something sweet, sweeter than honey.

_Mira-chan! _The thought blasted itself through my mind, an explosion within my tortuous haze.

I squinted to that blazing world beyond, but everything began to shimmer, fall back into vapors. But I recognized that voice, those impressions left upon my mind. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I had to close them against the glare; even then I could see those colors aflame before me.

_Kaa-san! _I cried out. _Kaa-san! Help me! _

Then suddenly it stopped. The world went black. It all went silent save for the sobs that racked my chest. Tears ran down my face, and snot pooled beneath my nose. I could feel my hands crush whatever rough, warm thing they held, my fingers curling into seeping thing so that I wouldn't fall away. The searing pincers holding my neck let go, letting me fully tangle myself into whatever supported me now.

_Mira-chan, _commanded Kaa-san's voice, _do not open your eyes. I am with you now. I pulled you through. But do not open your eyes. You will die. _

My quivering turned to convulsions. There was panic in her thoughts as she gave me fleeting those fleeting impressions; Kaa-san was scared. I curled into myself, tightening my grip until my hands went numb.

_Where am I? _I whimpered.

_The other plane, Mira-chan, _she answered.

My muscles went rigid. _The other plane? _My teeth ripped through the lip on which they had been gnawing. That too-sweet liquid filled my mouth and began to run down my throat. I gagged, coughing and spitting it out. Kaa-san's whine vibrated the air around me, shaking my petrified body. _Where the demons are? _

_Yes. _Her feelings cracked on that one word, turning from fear into panic. _You must leave. You are not ready for this place. They've already begun hunting you. One is close._

I gritted my teeth, ignoring the pool of that too-sweet liquid filling my mouth. I shoved air into my lungs, hoping that it would calm me down. _How? _

Another whine shook my skull, clanking my teeth together as tears jumped down my cheeks. _I cannot do it. You must. I will try to lose their trail._

The world began to jolt around me. Something wet hit me from all sides, drenching me as I gasped and retched and trembled, my grip staying firm. _How? _I shrieked to myself. _How do I do it? I don't even know how I got here! _I frantically tore apart my memories only to realize it must have been sheer calamity that got me here. _Sheer calamity and those-_

"Damn dust motes," I whimpered.

A great roar exploded around me, shattering the air itself, rattling my broken bones. It drowned out my own shrieks of pain. I was saved from sacrificing my grip to cover my ears though – deafness overtook me at the first note. For a moment I was blinded once more by those violent shades, but darkness overthrew them once more.

_It found you, _Kaa-san murmured. _You need to get back _now_. _

_I don't know how! _I cried out. _I- _

Agony itself started to shred my intestines. I released my grip and began to claw at my stomach, trying to get it out. I tumbled as I retched, the roiling pain leaving me even unable to scream. Kaa-san's voice pounded in my mind, but I couldn't listen. There was nothing I could do. Nothing.

Then something icy stabbed my chest, knocking the breath from me. Icy but not cruel. It was as if I was doused with cool water after a hot day's work. I welcomed it, embraced it. In response, cool tendrils branched from it, stretching towards the pain. Wherever it touched, the misery lessened. As if recognizing its challenger, the torture deepened to torment as my innards were shredded piece by anguishing piece.

"Focus."

The word came cold and clear. How, I do not know. I could not even hear the howl that smacked my skin as I was torn apart. Still, I gasped, "Yes, Yuuta-sama."

_Focus on the chill. Focus on its core. Focus, Mira. _The cold began to wrap me, fold me within its arms. The pain sputtered and hissed at it, pulling away wherever it went. I reached out to the ice as I had reached out to the wind. There I found-_ A thread?_

I latched onto it.

Thunk. The sōzu cracked against the stone once more.

Aching everywhere, deafened, and half-blind, I laid there as I sensed people hovering around me. I laid there and smiled as I felt the stones dig into my back, the dirt slip under my clothes, and a soft, yellow light prance upon my eyelids. It took me a while to open my eyes, but when I did, I opened them to a kunai knife poised between them.


	6. Chapter 6

Gasps raked my throat as my fingers crunched into rocky soil. Shouts and screams relentlessly hammered my eardrums, deafening me until they faded to white noise. My world was opaque save for the cold steel floating above me. Yet all I could think was of my broken neck, my splitting innards, that all-consuming agony.

I writhed and bucked but a horrendous weight kept me pinned to the floor. My gaze swiveled around, bestowing me with blurry glimpses of fire, people running, and buildings all around me – many of them destroyed. But nothing looked familiar. Not the people. Not the houses. _Where am I?_

Whoever had me pinned both lifted and then slammed me back into the floor. My skull cracked against something that splintered, and for a moment the world went dark. I shook my head, sparking my vision once more, only to see a bleary face join the kunai above me.

Her hair was a sickly yellow, but black strands matted her hair like carnivorous brambles preying upon a dying sunflower. Her skin was too-white as if she'd never seen the sun, but a smattering of thin scars spoke otherwise. Thin lips gave way to soft cheeks that had never been lifted in a smile. I knew that by her eyes; they were lifeless shards of a tainted ivory. When I looked at the woman, ice crept into my heart. I felt as if I was looking at Death's skull itself.

_Shinobi._

The woman moved closer, scanning me with a dead expression. "Oh?" Her voice was sickeningly mellifluous, stroking against my eardrums like a starving tiger. "Something's different." She lifted her chin, revealing a black cloth wrapped around her neck with metal band attached. It had a strange symbol incised upon the steel – one that my vision could only express as a blur.

The kunai kissed my skin, red lips forming as my blood rose to meet it. I felt the scarlet liquid pool around it, curious, before breaking away, running down my nose and into my eyes. I tried to shake it out, but the kunai dug deeper. I could only close my eyes, leaving myself blind to this world.

"Kaede-san?" rumbled a man to my right.

"Her eyes," Death answered as the kunai ground deeper. "They look different."

"Who is this girl?" another woman's voice whispered, soft yet poisonous to my left. "She nearly took out this entire village."

I felt Kaede shift her weight. "She's not a shinobi. Her movements were too sloppy. Like a wild animal. Once we got past her jutsus, she was easy to take down."

The first man continued in his graveled voice, "Has Daiki finished with that priest yet? Ayane-san, go check."

With soft, nearly inaudible steps, the woman to my left slunk away. My stomach felt light, my head heavy. _Who do they have? _

"Priest?" Kaede murmured. "Or shinobi?" Her voice changed direction, and I knew she had turned to look at the man. "You saw him."

"Hm," the man acknowledged. "But he's not Leaf shinobi. It seems our mission has gotten interesting. You think there are others?"

"Yes. Keep your guard up." I felt her breath upon my face as my blood began to pool above my eyes. "Now, little beast, it's your turn to start answering questions. That priest a friend of yours?"

My lips curled back, causing the blood to trickle down my cheeks, as a snarl ripped out of my throat. A sharp smack from the back of her bony hand snapped my teeth together, but I kept silent.

"I'm going to assume yes," she disgustingly cooed, "but this time I expect an answer. You've just ruined our mission, and I've lost all patience. Why did your friend put these prayer beads on you?"

_Prayer beads? _A sōzu cracked in the distance, somehow having escaped this hellish destruction. My fingers dug further into the dirt, stones lodging beneath my fingernails. I kept confusion from my expression as my growl deepened to a quaking from my chest.

"I'm warning you," she hissed. "Answer, or you'll regret it."

"Kaede-san," the man interrupted, his voice terse but unfazed, "I hear something coming."

"And we don't want someone going," she answered without hesitation. "Do it."

I thrashed and jerked, shrieking cusses and snarling, but Kaede kept me trapped as a pair of hands gripped my left leg. "No!" I roared. "Get off! Let me go!"

I heard the cracks before I felt the agony. Each of my nerves screeched as bones were wrenched apart, their jagged edges tearing into the ligaments that fought to keep them together. The man jostled me as he let go, making sure of his handiwork me as blood-stained tears ran down my face in time with my sobs.

"It's a war, girl," he murmured in pretension of an apology. "No hard feelings."

I opened my eyes, locking that huge frame within my gaze. His back was to me as he lumbered away. My teeth gnashed, my saliva turning frothy, as I howled in pure rage. I lashed out, ripping reality to tear at those threads of existence. But before I could – before I could see that body consumed by scarlet and orange and hear the hissing of flames alongside his shrieks – something tightened around my throat, something icy that snapped at my flesh with electric fangs. It choked me, locking me within my feeble and broken body, separating me from all that is and ever was.

I shook as true fear engulfed me; I was crippled.

"Can't do anything now, can you?" the woman grunted.

I bit my cheeks, drawing blood, as I stared up at Kaede's skull-face. Terror and hate etched her features into my memory, searing even the tiniest scar into my mind; they especially noted the gleam in her eye, like light flickering off yellowed bones. The whine in my throat turned into a weak growl.

"Little demon," she murmured, cupping my cheek in her skeletal hand, "you will make our Kazekage very happy."

I twisted and snapped at her hand, biting deeply into the flesh around her thumb. I felt the blood well in my mouth as I began to tear away at the flesh, feeling the ligaments give way as I neared her bone.

She didn't even cry out as she cracked the handle of her kunai against my temple. "Anything?" she asked her partner, shaking her head and getting off of me, kicking my leg in the process.

I yelped in pain, reaching for my leg as further movement only multiplied the torment. Then I smelt it – the smell that made me freeze, that made my stomach leap into my throat: the earthy scent of fur. The two shinobi crouched, sensing something, as they settled in defensive stances with eyes scanning the town. Another branch cracked to my right, and the man – one who was dressed entirely in black, a tiger mask covering his features – turned to it, a kusarigama in his hands.

A shadow exploded from behind him, releasing a wolf larger than the man which snapped its fangs with a fearsome crack. The man turned, raising his weapon and falling into the trap. Another wolf leaped from its crouch, locking its jaws around the man and bringing him down as if he were a newborn deer.

"Hana! Tēru!" I barked as my sister and brother silenced the man.

"Hiroto!" cried Kaede as she flung a kunai at Tēru.

The knife buried itself within my brother's thick shoulder, its hilt just visible through the silver fur. He yelped and jumped back, rounding on his new enemy with a slight limp in his stride. However, before either could make a move, Ashi, the youngest of the hunters, jumped out of the shadows to an opening at the woman's side. The woman was fast; she launched another kunai that slashed Ashi's muzzle. The pup howled as the woman pounced on him, lifting a sword to finish the job but forced to retreat from Tēru's fearsome jaws.

I struggled to stand, to join my pack in the attack, but I only fell pathetically to my stomach. I started to crawl towards Ashi who was trying to remove the knife, but I felt myself lifted from behind by the fabric of my clothing. I shrieked as my leg began to sway in the air, growing nauseous as it twisted unnaturally below me.

_Kizuato-san! _I yelped through my whimpers. His hot, heady breath was unmistakable. He turned from the fray, affording me a view of a town half-destroyed with fire finishing the rest of the job. Villagers swarmed the streets, handing buckets of water to each other to quench the flames. Some turned as they saw us – the girl being held by the jaws by the scarred alpha of the mountains – and began to scream and run. Others began to run too, some not even bothering to look at from what they were running.

_We are taking you back to the forest, Mira-sama, _Kizuato growled as he began to lope towards the edge of the town.

With each bounce, tremors barged through my leg, making me lightheaded from the torture. I couldn't protest that we were leaving our family. I couldn't ask what had happened. All I could do was keep from passing out as the mountains loomed in front of us, eons away from where we were. But even that I couldn't do.


End file.
